Frustratedearthmother's Journaling Journey

[frustratedearthmother]

I had a couple interesting surprises while fixing breakfast this morning. I decided to have quail eggs so I picked out a couple of the biggest ones to start with. Found two double yolkers and even more interesting I found an egg inside an egg! I cracked the egg and went to pour out the contents into the frying pan and only got a tiny bit of white - so I shook it a bit and could feel something thumping around - took a look and there was another fully-formed, smaller egg inside the big egg - so cool!

Cleaning out the fridge this morning - ugh - one of my least favorite chores....especially since I always find something that has been totally wasted that I fully intended to use and never did. But, the dogs and the chickens will eat well tonight. They LOVE fridge cleaning day as much as I despise it!

I took a stroll through the garden this morning and picked a few kale leaves for the quail. They love their greens and I try to give 'em some at least a couple times a week. Also been giving 'em some boiled eggs, complete with shells, for the extra calcium. I can't find any finely crushed oyster shell, so they're getting hens eggs and greens and occasionally a crushed Tums tablet for calcium. Seems to be working - haven't gotten a shoft shelled egg in a while now. Gonna set another batch of eggs so that they hatch a couple days after Christmas. I'll have to build another couple grow out cages since these will be strictly for eating!

Gotta couple more fridge shelves to clean so I better get back at it....

 

[Wannabefree]

Egg inside an egg is pretty rare! SO COOL!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

THe egg in a egg was really neat - and surprising too!

I'm starting to save eggs now. I'll set 'em on the 10th and get some new babies after Christmas. I'm excited - hope my guys have some good fertility going on. If they don't, it won't be because they aren't the most spoiled quail ever, lol. They get eggs, greens, Tums, more greens, and I bought 'em some fancy cockatiel food so they could have some seeds to pick around on - oh and millet sprays... I don't give 'em too much at one time though (I hope) cuz I don't wanna mess up the high protein, egg making feed they're getting.

Need to start planning to butcher another goat. Not happy with the feed bill and why feed a wether anyway? I've got two Pygmy wethers that needa go soon... They've had a charmed life though, so I don't feel toooo bad about it. And, I've got another half pygmy-half nubian that's on the agenda for spring.

Some of the spring pullets have started laying - woo hoo! Hen eggs were getting pretty rare around here - what with the molt and the shorter days... Summer time I was getting somewhere around 2 dozen or more every day. That dropped to sometimes ZERO and maybe if I'm lucky 2 or 3. Well, I guess the molt is over cuz today we got maybe 8 or so. DH collected em, so I'm not real sure - but it was a lot more than ZERO!

Got a couple more loads of laundry to do to get ready for the work week. Just a couple weeks of work and then off for over two weeks for CHristmas - woo hoo! I always plan to get tons of stuff done while I"m off - but I never seem to finish my list. Maybe my friend A will be home from college over the break and will wanna earn a few dollars....

Back to work - ugh.

 

[Wannabefree]

Good deal on the eggs! I'm getting nada...buying Amish eggs at the moment. Wish my duckies would get to laying again, that'd be great in all the baked goods and save my chicken eggs for breakfast and snacks. DH has been bingeing on boiled eggs lately, sometimes 5 or 6 a day

 

[tortoise]

Wow, egg inside of an egg! I didn't know that was possible. Neat!

 

[~gd]

Good deal on the eggs! I'm getting nada...buying Amish eggs at the moment. Wish my duckies would get to laying again, that'd be great in all the baked goods and save my chicken eggs for breakfast and snacks. DH has been bingeing on boiled eggs lately, sometimes 5 or 6 a day

Ducks are more light sensitive than chickens, They can often be 'fooled' into laying by slowly increasing the 'day length' right now the natural day length is getting shorter about 12/21 or22 the days start getting longer if I remember right when the lights 'days' get to 14 hours or so they will be laying at full production This is a trick I was taught by Showmen. They want their eggs to hatch in early janurary because a duck hatched then shows better than a duck hatched at the normal time. The drakes get the same treatment so they will be ready to service the hens so if you just want eating eggs without peeps don't light treat the drakes. Let them ripen normally and you can get peeps at the normal [warmer] time~gd

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Is it the weekend yet? Not sue why I'm looking forward to it since it's not gonna be fun times at all. Our students are doing community service on Saturday by ringing the Salvation Army bell in front of the local 'wally world' so at least one staff member needs to be there at all times to chaperone. It's gonna be rainy and in the low 40's...ugh. I'll do my shift and hopefully be done by noon - and then we are going to attend the memorial service for the student who lost her mom. That's early Saturday afternoon and we'll probably go by the house and visit after the service. Soooo, Saturday is pretty well taken up.

Sunday it's gonna be cold and yucky - but I've still got lots to do. I haven't totally finished 'winterizing' outside yet. I need to get some pipe insulation for the only exposed water pipe that I've got outside. After that I need to clean out the underground turn-off valve that controls the water out to the pens. It builds up all kinds of yicky stuff and critters over the summer months when we never open it up....and I really hate to stick my hand down in there to turn it off....ICK! For some reason little brown grass snakes seem to think it's the bestest place ever to snuggle up over the winter - it's not fun to grab one of those.

Goats and horses will be spending time in the new barnport. I even built a small 'sleeping shelf' in there the other day - not enough for all the goats but it will definitely free up some floor space. I've finally got some hay for 'em, but wanted to get more this weekend - prolly not gonna happen for awhile unless I break away from work today and get some... might have to consider that. I'd like to have it all secured and not have to worry about it again until next year.

Wanted to butcher this weekend too - but probably not gonna get the goat done... maybe can do a couple chickens under the shed, outta the rain at least.... but maybe not. There's nothing fun about sticking your hand inside a critter to rip the guts out when it's so cold.... but, I guess if you're quick enough you can do it while they still have body heat! (Ya know - you really can't have that kind of conversation with too many folks - but I know ya'll understand, lol!)

Guess I needa get some work done....

 

[Wannabefree]

Guts are warm, just make it quick and get back inside!!! You're actually probably doing them a favor considering the crap weather we're supposed to be getting. One less cold miserable day for them!

 

[Wannabefree]

Good deal on the eggs! I'm getting nada...buying Amish eggs at the moment. Wish my duckies would get to laying again, that'd be great in all the baked goods and save my chicken eggs for breakfast and snacks. DH has been bingeing on boiled eggs lately, sometimes 5 or 6 a day

Ducks are more light sensitive than chickens, They can often be 'fooled' into laying by slowly increasing the 'day length' right now the natural day length is getting shorter about 12/21 or22 the days start getting longer if I remember right when the lights 'days' get to 14 hours or so they will be laying at full production This is a trick I was taught by Showmen. They want their eggs to hatch in early janurary because a duck hatched then shows better than a duck hatched at the normal time. The drakes get the same treatment so they will be ready to service the hens so if you just want eating eggs without peeps don't light treat the drakes. Let them ripen normally and you can get peeps at the normal [warmer] time~gd

Cool, thanks for the info. I only have one drake though. He can just suffer I WILL be hatching some soon anyway.

 

[jcuri]

happy saint nicholas to all from ovs.ro